Lemon curd
A smooth, tangy spread of lemon juice and zest, sugar, eggs and butter, cooked gently until thick.
- Fillings, creams, frostings and sauces
- England
Also called: fruit curd
Curd is thickened by eggs rather than starch, so it is cooked over gentle heat, often over a water bath, and stirred constantly until it coats a spoon, at about 170°F (77°C); much hotter and the eggs scramble. It is then strained and the butter is stirred in, which makes it glossy. It thickens more as it cools.
Lemon curd fills tarts, cakes and doughnuts, layers into trifles and can be folded with whipped cream for a lighter mousse. Lime, orange, passion fruit and other fruit curds are made the same way.
Bake it at VanillaGoods
- RecipeLemon curd
- RecipePassion fruit curd
- RecipeVanilla bean lemon curd
- Dessert BuilderLemon curd layer cake
Tools for this
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONEReads in about a second, so you can hit sugar and chocolate temperatures exactly.See it on Amazon
Stainless Double Boiler Melting PotMelts chocolate gently so it never scorches or seizes.See it on Amazon
Microplane Classic ZesterZests citrus and grates whole spices finely.See it on Amazon
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Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- Lemon curd (Q1799855), Wikidata